II Chronicles 33

¹Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he was ruling for fifty-five years in Jerusalem.

²He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, copying the disgusting ways of the nations whom the Lord had sent out of the land before the children of Israel.

³For he put up again the high places which had been pulled down by his father Hezekiah; and he made altars for the Baals, and pillars of wood, and was a worshipper and servant of all the stars of heaven;

⁴And he made altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, In Jerusalem will my name be for ever.

⁵And he made altars for all the stars of heaven in the two outer squares of the house of the Lord.

⁶More than this, he made his children go through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom; and he made use of secret arts, and signs for reading the future, and unnatural powers, and gave positions to those who had control of spirits and to wonder-workers: he did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, moving him to wrath.

⁷And he put the image he had made in the house of God, the house of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, the town which I have made mine out of all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:

⁸And never again will I let the feet of Israel be moved out of the land which I have given to their fathers; if only they will take care to do all my orders, even all the law and the orders and the rules given to them by Moses.

⁹And Manasseh made Judah and the people of Jerusalem go out of the true way, so that they did more evil than those nations whom the Lord gave up to destruction before the children of Israel.

¹⁰And the word of the Lord came to Manasseh and his people, but they gave no attention.

¹¹So the Lord sent against them the captains of the army of Assyria, who made Manasseh a prisoner and took him away in chains to Babylon.

¹²And crying out to the Lord his God in his trouble, he made himself low before the God of his fathers,

¹³And made prayer to him; and in answer to his prayer God let him come back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh was certain that the Lord was God.

¹⁴After this he made an outer wall for the town of David, on the west side of Gihon in the valley, as far as the way into the town by the fish doorway; and he put a very high wall round the Ophel; and he put captains of the army in all the walled towns of Judah.

¹⁵He took away the strange gods and the image out of the house of the Lord, and all the altars he had put up on the hill of the Lord's house and in Jerusalem, and put them out of the town.

¹⁶And he put the altar of the Lord in order, offering peace-offerings and praise-offerings on it, and said that all Judah were to be servants of the Lord, the God of Israel.

¹⁷However, the people still made offerings in the high places, but only to the Lord their God.

¹⁸Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer to his God, and the words which the seers said to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, are recorded among the acts of the kings of Israel.

¹⁹And the prayer which he made to God, and how God gave him an answer, and all his sin and his wrongdoing, and the places where he made high places and put up pillars of wood and images, before he put away his pride, are recorded in the history of the seers.

²⁰So Manasseh went to rest with his fathers, and they put his body to rest in his house, and Amon his son became king in his place.

²¹Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king; and he was ruling for two years in Jerusalem.

²²He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as Manasseh his father had done; and Amon made offerings to all the images which his father Manasseh had made, and was their servant.

²³He did not make himself low before the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done, but went on sinning more and more.

²⁴And his servants made a secret design against him, and put him to death in his house.

²⁵But the people of the land put to death all those who had taken part in the design against King Amon, and made his son Josiah king in his place.

II Chronicles 33

¹Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.

²He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, after the abominations of the nations whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.

³For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; and he reared up altars for the Baals, and made Asheroth, and worshiped all the army of the sky, and served them.

⁴He built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord said, "My name shall be in Jerusalem forever."

⁵He built altars for all the army of the sky in the two courts of the house of the Lord.

⁶He also made his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom; and he practiced sorcery, and used enchantments, and practiced sorcery, and dealt with those who had familiar spirits, and with wizards: he worked much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.

⁷He set the engraved image of the idol, which he had made, in God's house, of which God said to David and to Solomon his son, "In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name forever:

⁸neither will I any more remove the foot of Israel from off the land which I have appointed for your fathers, if only they will observe to do all that I have commanded them, even all the law and the statutes and the ordinances given by Moses."

⁹Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that they did more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel did.

¹⁰The Lord spoke to Manasseh, and to his people; but they gave no heed.

¹¹Therefore the Lord brought on them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh in chains, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.

¹²When he was in distress, he begged the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers.

¹³He prayed to him; and he was entreated by him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.

¹⁴Now after this he built an outer wall to the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entrance at the fish gate; and he encircled Ophel with it, and raised it up to a very great height: and he put valiant captains in all the fortified cities of Judah.

¹⁵He took away the foreign gods, and the idol out of the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built in the mountain of the house of the Lord, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city.

¹⁶He built up the altar of the Lord, and offered thereon sacrifices of peace offerings and of thanksgiving, and commanded Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel.

¹⁷Nevertheless the people sacrificed still in the high places, but only to the Lord their God.

¹⁸Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, behold, they are written among the acts of the kings of Israel.

¹⁹His prayer also, and how God was entreated of him, and all his sin and his trespass, and the places in which he built high places, and set up the Asherim and the engraved images, before he humbled himself: behold, they are written in the history of Hozai.

²⁰So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house: and Amon his son reigned in his place.

²¹Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned two years in Jerusalem.

²²He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as did Manasseh his father; and Amon sacrificed to all the engraved images which Manasseh his father had made, and served them.

²³He did not humble himself before the Lord, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but this same Amon trespassed more and more.

²⁴His servants conspired against him, and put him to death in his own house.

²⁵But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place.